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Christmas in Prison 1: “Bears for Christmas!”

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by Keith Wiglusz

Christmas in Prison: Bears For Christmas !

I think of this more than anything during the Christmas season while incarcerated.

My first Christmas in prison my two daughters were ages 8 and 9. I was very active in their lives before I fell and we were very close especially at Christmas time. This very first year of incarceration they came to see me. “Seeing me behind razor wire for them would be harsh and sad,” is all I had going through my head. My wife and I had made the decision to stay together when I fell and see if we could actually stay together. I had my doubts but she insisted that I at least should see my girls no matter what. Now the big test was upon me on this very first Christmas day with them walking into a prison with all the razor wire only to see their dad in tan scrubs.

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Lectionary: Advent 1A

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by Matthew B. Harper

ADVENT 1

November 27, 2016
Isaiah 2:1-5
Psalm 122
Romans 13:11-14
Matthew 24:36-44

Happy New Year!
Here we are, on the first Sunday of Advent, beginning a new liturgical year as we prepare once again for our Christmas celebration. Christmas falls on a Sunday this year, giving us the longest possible Advent season. That doesn’t seem very remarkable, except that it has put our Sunday worship right on the tail-end of Thanksgiving. I believe it is significant, even important, that in our worship we are able to give thanks, and to let that be the prelude and celebration of our new year.
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NEW BOOK: Highways in the Desert

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highwaysLast year, Prison Lectionary launched with daily Advent devotions by our friend Matthew Harper. Since last year, Matthew has revised or rewritten those reflections, added some new materials, and compiled it all into his latest book. You can purchase it in Kindle or print format here.

Here’s a sneak peek from the forward:

There are countless books available on Advent, but this one is different. The devotions and reflections were written by a man in his eighteenth year of incarceration. In prison, faith and time take on new meaning. During Advent – this season of expectation – open yourself to the unexpected as Matthew Harper shares a bit of his story with you. Although his perspective is unique, you might just find that you have a great deal in common.

Lectionary: All Saints C

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by AMN

Luke 6:20-31

One of the misconceptions of walking in faith and being imitators of Christ is that all of our problems just vanish when we accept Jesus to be our Lord and Savior. In the passage, and so many other passages in the four gospels, Jesus says the contrary to that topic. We as saints of the church of Christ, have to be ready to expect hatred, rejection, mockery, slander as we continue to be ambassadors of his blesses kingdom.  Continue reading →

Devotion: “Life’s Journey”

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by Jessica McGee

“Life’s Journey”

Jeremiah 29:11-13

When you realize that God has a plan for you, what do you do? Proverbs 16:3 says to commit my ways to God and my thoughts will be established. I suggest a purification of the heart. My heart and emotions always drive me to do things. I catch myself daily saying, “My heart knows” or “I feel wholeheartedly”about something. God has a plan for us, even a plan for our future when that seems so far away and chaotic. God knows what we need before we need it. My goal is to focus on Him knowing that His way is the best way. I’ll spend time in the Word and be a reflection of whom I serve. My ways landed me in an uncompromising position, but God’s way will land me in peace. Thank you Lord for allowing me into Your kingdom and directing me on my life’s journey. Amen.

When my road is curving towards failure-look to God to make my way straight.

 

Reflection: Forgetting the Past

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by Bro. Joe Miles

Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before”

(Phil 3:13, KVJ)

The Apostle Paul had what some would call a checkered past. Like all of us, he did some things which he later regretted doing. Unfortunately, with human nature being what it is, even after working in ministry for several years there were most likely some people who still felt inclined to remind him of how he use to persecute Christians. Thankfully, Paul had come to understand that the hope he had in Christ enabled him to let go of his past mistakes and look forward to becoming the man of God he was destined to be.  Continue reading →

Lectionary: Proper 23C / Ordinary 28C / Pentecost +21

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by CM

Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7

When a child is born into this world it is a result of actions commenced by a myriad of individuals, none of whom happen to be the child. Of course, there are the parents but we often overlook the fact that there are four grandparents, eight great-grandparents, and the number continues to increase as the generations go back. Each coupling is accompanied by a particular chain of events which brought these two people together. In some cases, continents were travelled and oceans were crossed. All of the countless events took place and have brought forth the present life which is recognized as the person you see looking back at you from the surface of a mirror. And just as you didn’t have control over the circumstances that brought forth that event, the circumstances we find ourselves in over the course of our lives are, for the vast majority of them, equally beyond our control. The one exception is the choices we make in the circumstances. Continue reading →

Domestic Violence Awareness Month: “Tamar’s Tears”

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In recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness month, we offer the following contribution by CM. The author—a male prisoner incarcerated in a maximum-security prison—reflects on the theme of violence against women by engaging in a close reading of 2 Samuel 13, the horrific story of Amnon’s rape of his sister Tamar.

“Tamar’s Tears” by CM

I am a 40 year old man who has been in prison for 22 years.  I have met men who have committed some of the most horrific acts one could possibly imagine, and many others who were indeed falsely accused.  Yet, one thing that is true for everyone in a maximum security prison is the fact that our presence on this side of the wall represents a victim on the other side of the wall; another human being, victimized by his or her fellow man, even if not the man charged.

As one who finds solace in the words written in the Bible, I turn to the text of scripture to discover a way to make sense of this experience and grasp this dynamic relationship.  This interplay between perpetrator and victim.  The workings of the mind that grants one the proverbial green light to move forward and alter another’s peace.

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